MacArthur girls basketball's Meaghan Campbell propels team past Manhasset, into Nassau 'AA' final
Meaghan Campbell of MacArthur drives the paint with Jennah Shahine of Manhasset defending during a Nassau Class AA girls semifinal basketball game at Farmingdale State on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
The Generals are one step closer to making history.
The top-seeded MacArthur girls basketball team defeated No. 4 Manhasset, 57-41, in the Nassau Class AA semifinals on Tuesday at Farmingdale State. The team has one goal in mind: capturing the program’s first county title.
Senior Meaghan Campbell led the Generals with 20 points. After falling short in the semifinals and finals for the past two seasons, Campbell said this time, her team is hungry.
“We have such high expectations for ourselves and we’ve been meeting them and pushing them all season,” Campbell said. “That’s the difference this year. We get better every practice, every game.”
Coach Dave Radtke said his team’s drive is what sets MacArthur apart. “Our composure won this game for us,” Radtke said. “In a game like this against a really good, really athletic team, we kept our composure. That will continue to work for us. This team has leadership and experience. They’ve been here before and they want it more than I do. It’s special.”
Senior Gabby Nicolini, who put up 19 points and eight rebounds in the win, said the senior class’ “last chance” mentality has propelled her team all season and will continue to do so in the championship.
"It took us a couple years to figure it out,” Nicolini said. “We had some heartbreaking ends to our season in the past couple years. This year, the mentality is that this is it. We’re seniors, this is our last chance and it means everything to us to be in this position again.”
The Generals’ 16-athlete roster includes 10 dominant seniors. Senior Caitlin Kilian, who netted 11 points, said her class being so close-knit plays a major role in her team’s success.
"All the magic happens in practice,” Kilian said. “We’ve been playing together since fourth grade, so when it all comes together on the court, our wins are just a product of that chemistry and all the time we put in over the years.”
Eighth-grader Jream McLeod scored 14 points for Manhasset, which finished 15-7. MacArthur (22-0) will face No. 2 Garden City in the final at noon on Friday at Farmingdale State. The Trojans beat No. 3 South Side, 62-42, in the other semifinal.
“When we’re proud of what we put on the court, nothing else matters,” Campbell said. “When we’re proud of what we’re doing, that means we’re playing our best. When we’re playing our best, we can win and we know that.”
Tess Ferguson is a reporter on Newsday's high school sports staff. She joined the team after graduating with a journalism degree from Ithaca College in 2025.
